District boss, Kadhi fight over Lwengo school

By Jafar Mugera

Lwengo district chairman, Ibrahim Kitatta, is in a bitter fight with the district Kadhi, Sheikh Ismail Kibuule over the management of the newly built Katovu Seed Secondary School.

The school was constructed by the government on a six-acre piece of land that was donated by the Muslim community in 2020. It opened to the public in February this year, triggering a fight between Kitatta and the resident district commissioner (RDC), Emmy Kateera.

Before the dust from this could settle, Kitatta found himself embroiled in a fresh row—this time with Sheikh Kibuule, who accuses the LC5 chairman of overstepping his authority and undermining the role of the district Kadhi.

Last week, Sheikh Kibuule mobilized a group of Muslims to protest at the school, opposing the appointment of Gerald Kamoga as the headteacher.

“We should not be seen as waging a religious war or discriminating against anyone based on their beliefs. But as the foundation body, we must have a say in who is posted here as headteacher or deputy headteacher,” Sheikh Kibuule said on June 13.

“Besides the school, there is also a mosque here. How can someone who doesn’t even perform Islamic prayers be expected to protect our interests?,” he wondered.

Kamoga was among the eight headteachers deployed by the Education Service Commission on May 28 to newly constructed seed secondary schools in different parts of the country, according to Notice 231W dated May 23 and posted on the Commission’s website.

However, Sheikh Kibuule believes that Kitatta influenced the deployment of a non-Muslim to a Muslim-founded school.

“Kitatta is behind the confusion. Instead of standing with the Muslim community, he is pushing his own agenda,” Kibuule alleged.

He went as far as warning Kamoga not to set foot at the school.

Disturbed by the developments, Kitatta called a parents’ meeting on June 16, but Kibuule was all out to block. He once again camped at the school with a group of Muslims to ensure that no meeting takes place at the facility.

“In what capacity is he [Kitatta] calling a parents’ meeting? As the foundation body, we don’t believe a meeting is necessary at this time,” Sheikh Kibuule said.

He also urged the government to honour a 2020 agreement in which the Muslim community donated land for the school on the condition that non-Muslims would not be appointed as headteacher or deputy headteacher.

MISGUIDED

Citing a July 2019 letter authored by Alex Kakooza, the former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports and addressed to all chief administrative officers (CAOs), Kitatta argued that the district Kadhi is being misled and is ignoring the facts surrounding the matter.

In the letter, Kakooza instructed CAOs to enter into memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with religious institutions that had offered land for the construction of seed schools. However, he emphasized that such schools would be managed without any religious bias.

“Moreover, local governments have no role in the recruitment and deployment of secondary school teachers—that falls under the Education Service Commission. The jurisdiction of the District Service Commission ends with primary school teachers. Perhaps the district Kadhi is simply misinformed.” Kitatta told The Friday Call.

District boss, Kadhi fight over Lwengo school

By Jafar Mugera

Lwengo district chairman, Ibrahim Kitatta, is in a bitter fight with the district Kadhi, Sheikh Ismail Kibuule over the management of the newly built Katovu Seed Secondary School.

The school was constructed by the government on a six-acre piece of land that was donated by the Muslim community in 2020. It opened to the public in February this year, triggering a fight between Kitatta and the resident district commissioner (RDC), Emmy Kateera.

Before the dust from this could settle, Kitatta found himself embroiled in a fresh row—this time with Sheikh Kibuule, who accuses the LC5 chairman of overstepping his authority and undermining the role of the district Kadhi.

Last week, Sheikh Kibuule mobilized a group of Muslims to protest at the school, opposing the appointment of Gerald Kamoga as the headteacher.

“We should not be seen as waging a religious war or discriminating against anyone based on their beliefs. But as the foundation body, we must have a say in who is posted here as headteacher or deputy headteacher,” Sheikh Kibuule said on June 13.

“Besides the school, there is also a mosque here. How can someone who doesn’t even perform Islamic prayers be expected to protect our interests?,” he wondered.

Kamoga was among the eight headteachers deployed by the Education Service Commission on May 28 to newly constructed seed secondary schools in different parts of the country, according to Notice 231W dated May 23 and posted on the Commission’s website.

However, Sheikh Kibuule believes that Kitatta influenced the deployment of a non-Muslim to a Muslim-founded school.

“Kitatta is behind the confusion. Instead of standing with the Muslim community, he is pushing his own agenda,” Kibuule alleged.

He went as far as warning Kamoga not to set foot at the school.

Disturbed by the developments, Kitatta called a parents’ meeting on June 16, but Kibuule was all out to block. He once again camped at the school with a group of Muslims to ensure that no meeting takes place at the facility.

“In what capacity is he [Kitatta] calling a parents’ meeting? As the foundation body, we don’t believe a meeting is necessary at this time,” Sheikh Kibuule said.

He also urged the government to honour a 2020 agreement in which the Muslim community donated land for the school on the condition that non-Muslims would not be appointed as headteacher or deputy headteacher.

MISGUIDED

Citing a July 2019 letter authored by Alex Kakooza, the former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports and addressed to all chief administrative officers (CAOs), Kitatta argued that the district Kadhi is being misled and is ignoring the facts surrounding the matter.

In the letter, Kakooza instructed CAOs to enter into memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with religious institutions that had offered land for the construction of seed schools. However, he emphasized that such schools would be managed without any religious bias.

“Moreover, local governments have no role in the recruitment and deployment of secondary school teachers—that falls under the Education Service Commission. The jurisdiction of the District Service Commission ends with primary school teachers. Perhaps the district Kadhi is simply misinformed.” Kitatta told The Friday Call.